Caitlin Clark has not yet turned professional, but her aura has already sent shivers through the microcosm of women's basketball. The new best scorer in NCAA history announced, unsurprisingly, on February 29 her registration for the next WNBA Draft. Since then, a small tidal wave has swept over Indiana, since the Fever franchise has the first choice and should select the playmaker. The Fever had also congratulated Caitlin Clark when she dislodged Pete Maravich from the annals of college basketball.
Ticket prices have more than doubled
A year after Wembamania on the NBA, the WNBA sees Clarkmania unfold. And in Indianapolis, we can already rub our hands. The Vivid Seats ticket sales platform assured on March 1 that the average price of tickets for a Fever match next season had increased from 60 to 140 dollars in just a few hours, after the announcement of the player's registration for the next Draft.
For what should be its first home match, against the Liberty of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Marine Johannès on May 16, the last tickets still on sale are going for a minimum of 314 dollars up to 3,710 dollars at the edge of the parquet. Indiana's season opener at Connecticut, two days earlier, saw 800 tickets purchased within 24 hours of Caitlin Clark's announcement, as many as all the tickets purchased in the venue beforehand according to AP.
Stronger than Wemby!
Nothing very surprising for the new darling of women's basketball across the Atlantic. His college at Iowa had already sold out all of its tickets for this season, before it even started.
Qualified with the Hawkeyes for the Big Ten conference tournament, Caitlin Clark boosted sales for the entire competition: for the first time in its history, the five days of the tournament will be sold out with 109,000 spectators announced from Wednesday see you next Sunday at the Target Center, the Wolves' home.
Disappointed people who didn't get their pass to be in the room can always catch up in front of their screen, where Caitlin Clark is also driving the counters crazy. Last Sunday, for his record NCAA points game against Ohio State, 3.4 million viewers were in front of their screens. That's more than for the opening night of the NBA regular season on TNT, or than Victor Wembanyama's first game of the season with the Spurs!
“ Her ability to change things and raise enthusiasm around her is incredible. » exclaimed Deb Antonelli, commentator of Fever games for ESPN and NBA TV since 2000 at AP. “ Watching Caitlin Clark play basketball has become the socially acceptable thing to do. »
